Portable stoves and other devices that allow the preparation and containment of a fire or other manner of combustion are often used when camping or during times of an emergency. Such devices are useful for cooking, water purification, heat, as well as other numerous uses.
Many of such devices can be light weight and portable. Because of this conscience effort to reduce size and weight, most of such devices also depend on a fuel canister in order to provide fuel for the fire. While fuel canisters are convenient, they typically provide only a finite and limited amount of fuel and will eventually become useless if not refilled once empty. Furthermore, such canisters present an extra object of significant size and weight to be carried by a user. By contrast, portable devices which are capable of utilizing wood or other fuel sources present the advantage of being able to use a perpetual supply of fuel that can be found in nature. The general drawback is that, such devices are often heavy, require assembly of several pieces, or are bulky to transport or store.
One problem in attempting to reduce the size and bulk of devices that utilize wood or other solid fuel sources is that as the device becomes smaller, the chamber that is capable of holding fuel must become smaller. Unlike liquid or gas fuels, wood and other solid fuels do not typically allow for heat to be precisely focused or varied in intensity, and are limited to the overall area provided by the combustion chamber. Thus by limiting the space in which such fuels can combust, the amount of heat and energy released is greatly reduced. If a combustion chamber is made too small, the heat produced can be limited to the point that it becomes less useful for activities requiring significant heat such as cooking and boiling water. Moreover, as the overall size of the device shrinks, so does the available effective cooking surface upon which a pot, pan, or other cooking device can be placed.